Chemical dynamics of N-containing ionic species in a boreal forest snowcover during the spring melt period

A study of the changes in the ionic loads of NO, NH, SO and H⁺ in a boreal forest snowpack at Lake Laflamme, Québec was carried out using hydrological and chemical data from field lysimeters. The results showed that depletion of the N-containing species occurs periodically in the snowpack during meltwater discharge. Rain-on-snow events led to in-pack losses of NO and NH at a rate of 130 μeq m^?2 day^?1 and 101·3 μeq m^?2day^?1 respectively. On dry days, however, dry deposition and deposition of organic debris from the canopy resulted in increases of 183·3 μeq m^?2day^?1 for NO and 4·5 μeq m^?2day^?1 for NH in the pack. In contrast, SO₄^2? showed continual in-pack increases due to deposition of 5·0 μeq m^?2day^?1 for wet days and 92·6 μeq m^?2day^?1 for dry days. The depletion of NO and NH is due to microbiological uptake of these nutrients during periods when the free water content of the pack is high. Controlled melts in a laboratory snowmelt simulator containing snow and organic matter from the forest canopy at Lake Laflamme showed losses of NO and NH similar to those observed in the field. As the microbiological uptake proceeds at a rate comparable to that of ionic load increases in the pack by dry deposition, models of the chemical dynamics of snowmelt should take the former into account in any system where organic content of the snowpack is appreciable.     

SOFTWARE REVIEWS

software reviews are in this article MACATLAS . Number Cruncher Statistical System (NCSS) TRANSPRO FIRE-ROUTER     

Atmospheric boundary-layer structure observed during a haze event due to forest-fire smoke

During a haze event in Baltimore, U.S.A. from July 6 to 8, 2002, smoke from forest fires in the Québec region (Canada), degraded air quality and impacted upon local climate, decreasing solar radiation and air temperature. The smoke particles in and above the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) served as a tracer and provided a unique opportunity to investigate the ABL structure, especially entrainment. Elastic backscatter lidar measurements taken during the haze event distinctly reveal the downward sweeps (or wisps) of smoke-laden air from the free atmosphere into the ABL. Visualisations of mechanisms such as dry convection, the entrainment process, detrainment, coherent entrainment structures, and mixing inside the ABL, are presented. Thermals overshooting at the ABL top are shown to create disturbances in the form of gravity waves in the free atmosphere aloft, as evidenced by a corresponding ripple structure at the bottom of the smoke layer. Lidar data, aerosol ground-based measurements and supporting meteorological data are used to link free atmosphere, mixed-layer and ground-level aerosols. During the peak period of the haze event (July 7, 2002), the correlation between time series of elastic backscatter lidar data within the mixed layer and the scattering coefficient from a nephelometer at ground level was found to be high (R=0.96 for z =324 m, and R=0.89 for z=504 m). Ground-level aerosol concentration was at a maximum about 2 h after the smoke layer intersected with the growing ABL, confirming that the wisps do not initially reach the ground.     

甘肃省森林、草原火灾定量判识方法研究

利用EOS/MODIS资料分析了2002年12月到2003年5月发生在甘肃省的6次草原、森林火灾的火区、火灾影响区及环境的亮温关系,结果表明:火区、火灾影响区及正常环境区在20通道与31通道的亮温存在近似的临界值,即(T20-T31)/T20<0.08的区域为正常环境区;0.08<(T20-T31)/T20<0.093的区域为火灾影响区;(T20-T31)/T20>0.093的区域为火区。同时此方法对"4.15"迭部森林火灾进行定量分析表明:此方法对火灾不同区域的判识及火灾面积的估算有很好的效果,为火灾监测及火灾面积的估算提供了一定的参考依据。     

Stable carbon isotope ratios in lake and swamp sediments as a proxy for prehistoric forest clearance and crop cultivation in the Neotropics

Close correspondence between stable carbon isotope ratios ( ¹³ C), pollen, and charcoal profiles in sediment cores from Laguna Zoncho and Machita swamp, Costa Rica, shows that prehistoric forest clearance and crop cultivation can be detected in the stable carbon isotope ratios of total organic carbon ( ¹3C _TOC ). Analyses of δ 13C _TOC complement evidence from pollen, charcoal, and phytoliths and provide a proxy that is sensitive to the intensity and/or proximity to core sites of prehistoric forest clearance and agriculture in watersheds. Stable carbon isotope analyses are particularly useful in situations in which other evidence of forest clearance and agriculture is limited.     

多种定位终端与通信相结合的森林防火应急指挥调度系统的设计与实现

结合位置服务技术与通信技术,针对林区移动信号覆盖不全的特点,以GPS车载定位终端、GPS手机、GPS无线对讲机、北斗定位终端为定位与通信介质,建立基于多终端定位与通信的森林防火应急调度系统,解决林区因信号覆盖不全而引起通信与信息传输受阻的问题,为森林防火应急指挥调度提供解决方案。     

昆明西山森林公园旅游垃圾管理研究

采用了情景模拟、现场观测和访谈等方法研究了昆明西山森林公园旅游垃圾管理中存在的问题,研究发现：（1）游道两侧垃圾散落严重,且多分布于隐蔽区域;（2）公园内存在诸多隐形休息区,同时也是旅游垃圾管理的盲区;（3）环卫设施设计忽视人体工学原理;（4）垃圾分类概念模糊,缺乏规范标准;（5）环境教育意识淡薄,多流于形式。研究发现依据旅游垃圾的二次利用性进行分类、重视环境教育、合理设计和布局环卫设施、科学分类收集和合理分类处理等措施有利于西山森林公园旅游垃圾的有效管理。     

Geomorphology of coal seam fires

Coal fires occur in underground natural coal seams, in exposed surface seams, and in coal storage or waste piles. The fires ignite through spontaneous combustion or natural or anthropogenic causes. They are reported from China, India, USA, South Africa, Australia, and Russia, as well as many other countries. Coal fires lead to loss of a valuable resource (coal), the emission of greenhouse-relevant and toxic gases, and vegetation deterioration. A dangerous aspect of the fires is the threat to local mines, industries, and settlements through the volume loss underground. Surface collapse in coal fire areas is common. Thus, coal fires are significantly affecting the evolution of the landscape. Based on more than a decade of experience with in situ mapping of coal fire areas worldwide, a general classification system for coal fires is presented. Furthermore, coal seam fire geomorphology is explained in detail. The major landforms associated with, and induced by, these fires are presented. The landforms include manifestations resulting from bedrock surface fracturing, such as fissures, cracks, funnels, vents, and sponges. Further manifestations resulting from surface bedrock subsidence include sinkholes, trenches, depressions, partial surface subsidence, large surface subsidence, and slides. Additional geomorphologic coal fire manifestations include exposed ash layers, pyrometamorphic rocks, and fumarolic minerals. The origin, evolution, and possible future development of these features are explained, and examples from in situ surveys, as well as from high-resolution satellite data analyses, are presented. The geomorphology of coal fires has not been presented in a systematic manner. Knowledge of coal fire geomorphology enables the detection of underground coal fires based on distinct surface manifestations. Furthermore, it allows judgments about the safety of coal fire-affected terrain. Additionally, geomorphologic features are indicators of the burning stage of fires. Finally, coal fire geomorphology helps to explain landscape features whose occurrence would otherwise not be understood. Although coal fire-induced thermal anomalies and gas release are also indications of coal fire activity, as addressed by many investigators, no assessment is complete without sound geomorphologic mapping of the fire-induced geomorphologic features.     

冰雪灾害对吉安市青原区森林资源危害及恢复措施

2008年的低温冻雨冰雪灾害性天气对吉安市青原区林业生产造成了极大损失。以青原区8个乡镇森林为调查对象,调查不同区域、不同海拔、不同坡度、不同林种、不同树种的受灾若干特征,了解各种树种的防御雪灾的能力,提出恢复重建的具体措施,认为需要政府支持、科学经营和加强管护。